Handle supported scouring implement



Sept. 16, 1958 A. M. GOODLOE HANDLE suPPoRTED scoURING IMPLEMENT 3Sheets-Sheet l Filed Dec. 4, 1956 MH wvwmmmwwwmwmmmmwmMmmwmmmmmmmWmvmmmmmmw- IN1/EN ToR. /I'fezjf Ganda',

mzyfya Sept. 16, 1958 A. M. GOODLOE HANDLE sUPPoRTED scoURING IMPLEMENT5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 4, 1958 IN1/EN TOR. gffif 5mm@ BY .ma @ggg/jMEW 916' Sept. 16, 1958 A. M. GOODLOE HANDLE sUPPoRTED scoURINGIMPLEMENT 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed, Dec. 4, 1956 2,851,714 HANDLESUPPGRTED- SCOURINGy llVIPLEMEN T Alfred M. Goodloe, Westeld, N. J.,assignor, by mesne assignments, to Metal' Textile Corporation, acorporation of Delaware Application December 4, 1956., SerialNo. 626,149

3` Claims. (Cl. 15-209) This invention relates toan improvedconstruction of scouring devicev comprising a handle supportedabradantbody formed. from tubular knit metallic mesh,.preferably, butnot necessarily, knitted from ilattened4 or ribhonlike wire; saidabradant body being adapted. in. use, to eifect mild abrasive orscraping action suitable. for scouring and cleaning the surfaces ofutensils, or other surfaces required to be so treated.

Heretofore attempts havev been madeto produce a scouring implementcomprising a handle4 supported abradant body which can be so manipulatedby the` user as to avoid necessity of dipping. theV hands of the userinto detergent impregnated. or soapy water. In. such prior implements,the abradant body was formed by aV multi.- plicity of radially extendingcarrying strands gimped or wound with fiat metallic wire (an4 example ofsuch type of implement being disclosed in Unitedv States Letters PatentNo. 1,762,182).y but owing to. high cost of the gimping operation andthe difficulties of manipulating such kind of material whereby toproduce an abradant body, and the fact that the resultant body lackedfirmness and adequate resistance to wear, such type4 of implement hasnot been found either etiicientl in use or commercially satisfactory,and manufacture and sale thereof has, it is believed, been generallyabandoned.

Heretofore, it has` also been attempted to produceV a handle supportedabradant body formed from. tubular knit dat wire mesh, but such deviceshave not been wholly satisfactory, largely for the reason that the meshmaterial tended to be too solidly compacted, andas a consequence lackedsufficient softness and yieldable compressibility to readily conformitself to the Vcontours of a surface to which it was applied forabrasive scraping action upon said surface, in `carrying out al scouringeffect thereupon.

Having the above in View, it is an object of this invention to provide ahandle supported `convol-ute abradant body for scouring effect formedfrom tubular knit metallic wire mesh, wherein the peripheralareas of thebody formed therefrom are relatively soft and yieldably compressible,and consequently will readily conform themselves to a surface contactedthereby in use; and whereby maximum of abrading and scouring` action ofsuch peripheral areas will be effectively applied tothe contactedsurfaces desired to be cleaned.

Another object of the invention is to so condition the tubular knit wiremesh thatwhen formed into a convolute abradant body, the peripheralareas of the body convolutions can laterally expand to provide arelatively soft yieldably compressible body mass, which will readilyconform itself to a surface, undergoing the scouring and cleaning eifectthereof, when pressed and rubbed against such surface; and wherein, dueto the knitted conditiony of the body forming mesh material or fabric,said body is splinterless and strongly resistant to disintegration underwear in use.

A lfurther object of the invention is to provide a convolute abradantbody, having the characteristics above ,stmt Patented Sept. i6, g

Mice

sion therefrom, and in connection with which wire core a suitablyextended handle member can be formed or attached.

The above and other objects will become apparent from a reading of thefollowing description-of this invention in connection with theaccompanying drawings of an illustrative embodiment thereof, whichdrawings more or less schematically delineate the device of thisinvention and the steps of the method. by which it is produced.

In said drawings:

Fig. 1 is. a plan view` of tubular knit metallic wire mesh, showing thesame as longitudinally corrugated, crimped or pleated preparatory to usethereof in producing the device of this invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the winding of the longitudinally crimpedor pleated tubular knit metallic. mesh around they parallel arms of aU-shaped mandrel, as a step in the production of the scouring device.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing intersecting portions of thewound mesh of Fig. 2 compressed into consolidated central sections fromwhich opposite loops of the windings extend.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan View ofthe wound mesh removed from thermandrel and disposed to engage its` consolidated central sectionsbetween a pair of core wires, preparatory to twisting the. latter insecured and supporting relation to the. woundmesh; and Fig. 5 is across-sectional view, takenv on line 5 5 in Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sidev elevational view of the wound mesh asassembled with and supported by the twisted'` core wires; and Fig. 7 isa cross-sectional View, taken on line 7-7 in Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a yface View of thecompleted scouring device as formed bybending the twisted core wires into a loop or ring formation from whichthe convolutions of the wound mesh radiate, and with a handle memberatxed to the extendingl free end portions of the twisted core wires.

In order to illustrate the essential characteristics of the scouringimplement according to` this invention, the drawings show, in somewhatschematic fashion, certain steps by which the body thereof can beproduced. The abradant body of the implement is essentially made oftubular knit metallic mesh, preferably knitted from flattened orribbonlike wire.

A. tubular knit strip 10 of such metallic mesh of selected width is rstrun longitudinally through and between corrugating rolls (not shown),which provide the strip with` longitudinally extending parallelcorrugations, crimps. or pleats 11 (see Fig. l), thus reducing theinitial width of the strip l0, while at the same time giving itsubstantial bulk or thickness, whereby to provide a tubular knit strip Sas a basel material from which the abradant body of the scouringimplement, according to this invention, canA be produced.

A suitable length of the longitudinally corrugated, crimped or pleatedmesh stripy S is helically wound, to a selected number of closely spacedturns, about the parallel arms of, a U-shaped mandrel. l2 (see Fig. 2)'.Although to simplify illustration but a single mesh strip S is shown inthe drawings as wound about the mandrel l2, it will lbe understood that,in order to obtain substantial bulk and size of the abradant body mass,a plurality of superposed mesh strips S, e. g. two or more, may togetherbe wound about the mandrel 12.

The mesh strip material having been helically wound about the mandrel12, central portions of the windings thereof will intersect or cross oneover the other. It is preferable that such intersecting portions becompressed and interlocked together, thereby to form consolidatedcentral sections 13 from which opposite loops 14 of the helical windingsof the mesh strip extend (see Fig. 3). Such consolidated centralsections 13 can be produced by compressing the intersecting portions ofthe mesh strip windings between opposed pressure exerting dies or jawsA15-15 (see broken line representation thereof in Fig. 3). Suchformation of said consolidated central sections of the wound mesh stripS can be produced either before or after said wound mesh strip isremoved from the mandrel 12.

The helically wound mesh strip S is removed from the mandrel 12, andthereupon laid between a pair of core wires 16, which are disposed tocross and respectively engage opposite sides of the consolidated centralsections 13 of said wound mesh strip (see Figs. 4 and 5). The wound meshstrip S being thus engaged with and between the core wires 16, thelatter are twisted together, thereby to firmly grip and anchor theconsolidated central sections 13 of the mesh strip between the opposedbights of the twisted core wires, thus causing the mesh strip to assumea helical or spiral formation in extension from and around the twistedcore wires, so that the latter thereupon provide the supporting orcarrying core 17 for the resultant abradant body mass (see Figs. 6 and7).

Owing to the longitudinally corrugated, crimped or pleated formation ofthe mesh strip S, the outer peripheral areas or portions of theconvolutions of the wound mesh strip, which helically extend around andalong the twisted wire core 17, in supported extension therefrom, tendto laterally expand, and thus to fluff or puff out. Due to this, theouter peripheral areas or portions 18 of the convolutions of the meshstrip material become relatively soft, yieldable and easilycompressible, so as to readily conform to a surface against which theabradant body is pressed and rubbed in use.

To complete the formation of the scouring implement of this invention,the twisted wire core 17, with its supported convolute knitted meshabradant body mass, is bent around into a loop or ring formation, so asto bring together, in extension therefrom, free end portions 19 of saidtwisted wire core 17. The bending of the twisted wire core 17 into suchloop or ring formation, causes the outer loops or peripheral portions 18of the convolutions of the knitted mesh abradant body to projectsubstantially radially from the loop or ring formation, and to become,by the lateral spreading of the longitudinal corrugations, crimps orpleats 11, laterally expanded to a fluff-ed or puffed out condition (seeFig. 8). It will thus be obvious that a very practical, eicient andsplinterless abradant body formed from convolved knitted metalli-3 cshis provided, and one wherein the mesh material, particularly at theouter peripheral areas of the convolute abradant body provides arelatively soft and resilientl'y compressible mass which, in use, caneffectively conform itself to a surface to be cleaned, when pressedagainst and rubbed over such surface. The free end portions 19 of thetwisted wire core can themselves be formed to provide an extendinghandle by which the abradant body can be manipulated without dipping theusers hand in detergent impregnated or soapy water. Preferably, however,said free end portions 19 of the twisted wire core are inserted in andaffixed to a handle member of suitable shape, as shown in Fig. 8.

Having now described my invention, I claim:

l. A scouring implement comprising a supporting mem- 4 ber provided by apair of core wires, flattened tubular knit metallic mesh of selectedwidth and provided with longitudinally extending corrugate crimps, saidcrimped mesh being wound into a spirally convolute formation,intersecting portions of the convolute formation being compressed andunited to provide central consolidated sections, said consolidatedsections being disposed between the core wires, said core wires beingtwisted together whereby to alx the mesh at said consolidated sectionsto the supporting member in looped helically convolute radial extensiontherefrom and therealong, and with laterally expanding effect upon thecrimped mesh at the outer portions of the looped convolutions thereof,whereby said portions provide the implement with relatively soft andyieldable external surfaces adapted to make conforming contact with asubstantial area of a surface to be scoured thereby.

2. A scouring implement comprising a supporting member provided by apair of core wires, attened tubular knit metallic mesh of selected widthand provided with longitudinally extending corrugate crimps, saidcrimped mesh being wound into a spirally convolute formation,intersecting portions of the convolute formation being compressed andunited to provide central consolidated sections, said consolidatedsections being disposed between the core wires, said core wires beingtwisted together whereby to affix the mesh at said consolidated sectionsto the supporting member in looped helically convolute radial extensiontherefrom and therealong, with laterally expanding effect upon thecrimped mesh at the outer portions of the looped convolutions thereof,whereby said portions provide the implement with relatively soft andyieldable external surfaces adapted to make conforming contact with asubstantial area of a surface to be scoured thereby, said supportingmember being bent into an annular shape, and having handle meansextending therefrom.

3. A scouring implement comprising a supporting member provided by apair of core wires, flattened tubular knit metallic mesh of selectedwidth and provided with longitudinally extending corrugate crimps, saidcrimped mesh being wound into a spirally convolute formation,intersecting portions of the convolute formation being disposed betweenthe core wires, said core wires being twisted together whereby to aixthe mesh to the supporting member in looped helically convolute radialextension therefrom and therealong, with laterally expanding effect uponthe crimped mesh at the outer portions of the looped convolutionsthereof, whereby said portions of the looped convolutions thereofprovide the implement with a relatively soft and yieldable externalsurface adapted to make conforming contact with a substantial area of asurface to be scoured thereby, said supporting `member being `bent intoan annular shape, and having handle means extending therefrom.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,606,884 Mann et al Nov. 16, 1926 1,762,182 Mayer June 10, 19301,839,240 Mayer Ian. 5, 1932 2,139,033 Niemann Dec. 6, 1938 2,308,568Rogers Jan. 19, 1943 2,447,241 Englund Aug. 17, 1948 2,581,779 AbrahamJan. 8, 1952

